Leaders of the Dawn

By Conrad Coetzee

People are hungry for new leadership. They are tired of the old systems and so-called leaders who have caused havoc on earth, in their countries and in their organisations. Today, there is a new breed of leader arising in a dawn of new beginnings. These leaders understand the power of participative leadership and the power of collective positive energy in the work environment.
Leaders of the Dawn focuses on people, their emotions and well-being. It reflects that these new leaders believe in the motto "People come first" and understand, in this fast-changing world, that successful organisations are those where the people are energised, goal-driven and happy.
Conrad Coetzee describes the emerging revolutionary leadership form, where those in positions of influence are busting the existing systems and advancing a powerful model of decentralised autonomous leadership (DAL). He urges readers to forget about lighting fires under people as it is the fire in them that is critical to the success, even survival, of today's organisations.
The question is what generates this fire? It can't be imposed on or lit by someone else. Organisations can only create a conducive environment, yet it is a complex process to form a space in which people feel safe while simultaneously stimulating and offering exciting goals.
Leadership of the self is a misunderstood topic. If you cannot master the self and let go of the interferences in how you see the world, you will struggle to form part of the success formula in the workplace. If you can't go within, you will go without.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Conrad Coetzee
• Release date: Sep 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223258162

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Copyright © 2023 Conrad Coetzee

First edition 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Conrad Coetzee using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Kevin Turner for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

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CONRAD COETZEE

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Foreword

Leaders of the Dawn

People are hungry for new leadership; we are tired of the old systems and the so-called leaders who have caused so much havoc in the world, in our countries and in our organisations. There is a new breed of leader emerging in this dawn. These leaders understand the power of participative leadership; they understand the power of collective positive energy in the work environment. The focus of Leaders of the Dawn is on people, our emotions and our well-being. The motto of these leaders is ‘People come first’. They understand that in this new, fast-changing world, organisations will only be successful when people are energised, goal-driven, and happy in their work environments.

Leaders of the dawn know that they can only lead when they are respected and given permission to lead.

We must forget about trying to light fires under people. It is the fire in them that is critical to the success, even the survival, of today’s organisations. The question is, of course, ‘What generates the fire within them?’ It can’t be imposed or lit by someone else. The best that others, or organisations, can do is to create an environment where this fire can burn fuelled by what is already inside us. It is a complex process to create an environment where people feel safe, yet it is also stimulating and offers goals that excite people.

In this book, I describe a revolutionary form of leadership that I see emerging across the world. These are leaders of the dawn, system-busters, new leaders with a revolutionary mindset, which I refer to as Decentralised Autonomous Leadership (DAL). Their expertise comes from breaking down old hierarchical belief systems. DAL leadership takes the traditional power leadership model and completely flips it on its head. These leaders make the needs and well-being of followers a top priority. This form of leadership structure does not have a central governing body. Members are strongly committed to always acting in the best interests of the organisation or entity.

This book is based on my years of research in leadership, coaching and goal-setting techniques.

My leadership journey started many years ago when I was studying. I experienced failed leadership in our student organisation. During my time at college, there were different ‘houses’ competing on various levels, such as sports, culture, academics, etc. I was in the day-student house, and one of the biggest events was the RAG festival. RAG stands for Remember and Give, and the festival raised money for charity.

The day-student house had a culture of partying and was not very successful in raising funds. I decided to sign up as a member of the RAG committee. During the RAG festival, our biggest event was to build a float representing a particular theme. I soon realised our leader had no idea how to manage a large project like this. I just stepped in and took over the project, and we managed to build one of the most successful floats in many years. Soon after that, I was elected as chairperson of the RAG committee, and over the next two years, we produced highly successful charity events. My team managed to secure many large corporate sponsorships. My leadership skills were noticed by some of the large institutions, and I was told that as soon as I finished my studies there would be a place for me.

During my corporate years, I headed up many departments and projects and was fortunate to be coached by a top leadership coach for over a year. During the last 25 years, I have observed many failed leaders in top positions. These leaders had no idea how to manage people; they did, however, have the so-called qualifications to do so. Unfortunately, the emphasis was on qualifications and not leadership ability. I saw many careers wasted and many people abused by these leaders.

I also worked with very successful leaders – leaders who were admired and were given permission to lead by their colleagues. I was fortunate to coach leadership and goal-setting courses to hundreds of employees. The focus of my coaching was on participative management, as explained in this book.

The impact of these courses has had a significant effect on the lives of many people. It is very fulfilling when you see people who thought they had no chance – due to circumstances beyond their control – progress up the ladder of leadership and become successful leaders in their own right.

In this book, I often refer to the different levels of leadership, and this is a fundamental part of the message I am trying to convey to the reader. I discuss the different levels in Chapter Two. It is important for the reader to understand the processes and levels involved in leadership development. I like to refer to this as a journey up the leadership ladder.

During the leadership journey, we encounter many obstacles, and we sometimes feel as if we are stuck. I use various models to explain what is holding us back from becoming the leaders we ought to be. I also take the reader through a process of discovering old belief systems that hold us back.

You see, the mind is very good at fixating on issues and reasons why we cannot reach our goals. Our minds will create problems so that they have a problem to solve; our ego-mind will use false belief systems as a form of reasoning. And, of course, our mind will also be very focused on what can go wrong, until, that is, we train our mind to observe and be focused on the present. Being focused on the present will grant us access to our subconscious mind and all the ideas, all the insights, all the inspiration that can come to us in that space.

I discovered the power behind the idea that ‘questions are the answer’.

Examining this idea, it becomes clear that we must ask the right questions. Asking questions simply to find immediate answers does not always work: this is because there is much we cannot answer, expressed in the saying, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’. We need rather to ask the question in such a way that we don’t seek an immediate answer; ask a question in a way that causes another question to surface; and from that question, another question arises. The result is that we start to reveal many different possibilities. This is powerful, as it leads us from a mistake or a problem to the realisation that we are presented with several different options. This is called ‘second-order learning’. Questions are the answer.

It is our interpretation of a mistake that determines the outcome. In turn, this determines the range of actions that could be taken. When our (limiting) belief system is in control, another problem arises: we are unaware that we think and act in these ways because we are unaware of the belief system that we have allowed to control our thoughts. It’s impossible to know what we don’t know. We will perceive a mistake differently if we start asking questions and interpret the issue as an opportunity for learning, as opposed to viewing it negatively. Questions lead to new possibilities.

The answer lies in the questions.

Finally, goal setting is one of the most misunderstood processes; because it forms such an important part of the leadership journey, I go into detail on how to set goals for yourself and your team. I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I do.

RV = ((E*M) *(F-I)) L

This book is based on the above formula, which illustrates to the observer the interconnected relationships of the human components that drive Results (R)(outcomes), and the importance of these. I use this formula to illustrate how the effectiveness of Leadership (L) has an impact on the overall performance of each individual and creates exponential growth, leading to peak performance in an organisation.

To create a sustainable competitive advantage for your organisation, you need a Team-based (M), feedback-rich, high-performance culture that relies on participative management and transformational coaching as the universal, connective practice.

Leadership of the self is such a misunderstood topic. If we cannot master the self and let go of that which is Interfering (I) in our personal lives, we will struggle to form part of the success formula in the workplace. ‘If you can’t go within, you will go without.’

In this book, we look at the self as the observer, not the doer. I examine each component of the participative formula and look at the different leadership styles and the levels of leadership that promote and hinder the successful achievement of desired outcomes. We look at techniques and methods to help identify why we sometimes become stuck and can’t move forward. I identify some of the belief systems that Interfere (I) with decision-making processes.

Examining these methods and belief systems helps to illustrate the power of goal setting and how the subconscious mind can help us with our goals. I make use of various models to illustrate the participative management process, and the End-Result Process diagram, which is based on this quote from T.S. Eliot:

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. – T.S. Eliot

I look at different belief systems or Interference that hold us back from the greatness we ought to be.

A belief system is a decision-making system; that which we subconsciously accept as true, defines our decisions.

Often, we reach a point where we become stuck; we just can’t move forward, and the same patterns and problems keep on showing up.

You’re not stuck. You’re just committed to certain patterns of behaviour because they helped you in the past. Now, those behaviours have become more harmful than helpful. The reason why you can’t move forward is because you keep on applying an old formula to a new level in your life. Change the formula to get a different result. – Emily Maroutian

Our belief system subconsciously sets our upper limits, so that we believe we can’t exceed them. It creates a safe environment in which our egos thrive.

In this book, I assist you to identify the behaviours and patterns that hold you back and I introduce and unpack the participative formula:

RV = ((E*M) *(F-I)) L

Despite knowing that the solution lies down another path, we keep running into the same pothole, and we still end up with the same results. I also explain the difference between first-order learning and second-order learning in the book. First-order learning is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. It is the process of learning something through personal experience, especially through difficult, unpleasant, or painful experiences. Learning the hard way can also take quite a bit of time and be quite expensive at the end of the day.

In his quote below, Einstein explained first-order learning:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. – Albert Einstein

I examine first and second-order learning in more depth in Chapter Two. A note to the reader: throughout this book, you may find I repeat ideas and concepts frequently – sometimes restating them in a very similar manner. Experience shows that leadership learning is best consolidated through revisiting ideas several times. It serves to consolidate our learning, allowing time for concepts to resonate with, and reflect in, our working lives. It is not a straightforward journey, but one well worth taking!

That which your subconscious mind accepts as true, it will execute.

The Formula Explained

RV = ((E*M) *(F-I))L

T = (E*M)

S = (F-I)

RV = (T * S)L

RV = ((E*M) * (F-I))L

Team spirit: T = (E*M)

Stained-glass effect: S = (F-I)

Results: RV = (T * S)L

To create a sustainable competitive advantage for your organisation, you need a team-based (T), feedback-rich, high-performance culture that relies on participative management and transformational coaching as the universal, connective practice.

The success formula, RV = ((E*M) *(F-I))L, relies on a coaching culture, which is a fundamentally different way of approaching the process of leading others to enhance their performance. It creates democratic, mutually supportive, high-trust partnerships between people that rise above the traditional boss/subordinate roles.

The formula illustrates the inter-relationship of the human components in determining the success of an organisation. It demonstrates how the effectiveness of leadership will affect the overall performance of the organisation and create exponential growth, leading to peak performance.

Here is a brief explanation of the terms referred to in the diagram. (Note: the numbers in brackets refer to the position in the End-Result process diagram below.)

R = Results: the end result of all efforts (4), this is goal setting in motion; reaching goals is a process, a journey to reach your dreams.

V = Visualisation: leading to an exponential growth rate (2), determined by the effectiveness of the observer.

E = Energised people: the people in the organisation feel good about themselves, their team, and their environment (1). Participative leadership shifts the energy of the team as it opens up a different way to observe, and, therefore, creates new possibilities in an atmosphere more conducive to success.

M = the total resource pool or the size of the team.

T = Team spirit: the total energy generated by the team and organisation; this can be positive or negative (6). The total energy is fuelled by the end result and by the effectiveness of the leader; the more positive results, the higher the energy (4).

F = Focus: the ability to observe the end result and focus on the goals (6). Focused people know the strategic goals of the business, and they know their roles in creating success; they understand the importance of goal setting, planning and observing (2).

I = Interference and resistance: interference from old belief systems, and the resistance of our ego-minds to letting go of these old patterns and beliefs that hold us back from reaching our goals. Interference detracts from efficiency and effectiveness (9). The more positive results we achieve (5), the lower the Interference.

S = Stained-glass effect: (9) We see the world not as it is, but as we are. We make decisions based on our experience, education, past results, cultural, religious and political background.

L = Leadership empowers (driving exponential growth). Great leadership influences the effectiveness of the energy and the Focus of the team. Leadership has the potential to solicit trust, commitment, and passion. Successful leaders have mastered second-order learning (10).

The End-Result process diagram below unpacks and further explains this formula. There are numerous concepts and terms embedded in this diagram. I explore these in the paragraphs below, and in later parts of this book.

The formula expresses that the end result of all our efforts is determined by several factors working together (4). The end result is never static or final, it is an ongoing process and can even be described as ‘goal setting in motion’.

Looking at the formula, Team spirit (T) is determined by the Energy (E) among people in the organisation, multiplied by the total resource pool or team size (M). E and M together are major components, which work together to determine the overall Team spirit available, and with which the leader must work (hence E*M).

The Team spirit and total Energy generated by the organisation can be positive or negative (6). When people are energised in the organisation, they feel good about themselves, their team, and their environment (1). It is important to note that total Energy is also refuelled by the end result; the more positive the results, the higher the Energy (4). There is, therefore, a reciprocal and iterative relationship between the elements in the formula.

In the second part of the formula, the extent of Focus (F) among the team is almost always reduced by a multitude of Interferences (I). Thus, the ‘Stained-glass effect’ (S) is the net result of how well we can Focus and how we see the world; this is expressed in the formula by ‘F-I’.

Focus is about seeing the end result and focusing on the goals. Focused people know the strategic goals of the business, and they know their roles in creating success. They understand the importance of goal setting, planning and observing (2). A lack of Focus, or reduced level of Focus, is often due to vision and energy being impeded